Michigan Merit Exam results announced

Local schools see mixed results compared to overall state scores

6/24/13

ARENAC COUNTY — Michigan Merit Exam (MME) results released by the Michigan Department of Education June 24 show Arenac County schools improving in some areas, but wavering in others.

The MME assesses test 11th-graders on reading, writing, social studies, science and mathematics. Students are then divided up into proficiency levels: not proficient, partially proficient, proficient and advanced.

Statewide, 29 percent of students tested proficient in math for the 2012-2013 school year, as did 54 percent of all students in reading. State proficiency was 26 percent in science, 39 percent in social studies, and 49 percent in writing.

Arenac Eastern saw its MME test scores increase for the 2012-2013 school year in reading, writing and math. Scores in social studies and science fell from the ’11-12 school year.

In reading, AE saw 33 percent of its students proficient in total, with 6 percent of those advanced readers. Another 22 percent were proficient in math, writing and social studies. Only 11 percent were proficient in science, a drop of 1 percent from the previous year. Writing jumped 10 percentage points from the ’11-12 year, while four-point jumps occurred with math and reading. Social studies fell two points.

The percent of students who were not at all proficient in science accounted for more than half of the remainder, however: 67 percent. About 56 percent of students were not proficient in math, followed by 44 percent in reading, 17 percent in social studies, and 17 percent in writing.

The school tested 18 students in total.

Au Gres-Sims saw gains in reading, social studies, and science, while losing ground in mathematics and remaining flat on writing.

In reading, AGS jumped to 57 percent proficiency from 43 percent last year, with 13 percent of those students advanced readers. About 43 percent of students were proficient in writing this year, with 5 percent advanced. Another 30 percent tested as proficient in social studies — a massive gain from 14 percent in the previous school year.

Science scores ticked up from 14 percent proficiency in the ’11-12 school year to 17 percent. Math proficiency dropped two points, falling to 27 percent from 29 percent. A total of 30 students were assessed.

AGS saw 30 percent of its students not proficient at all in math, and 53 percent were not proficient in science. The school had much smaller numbers of not-proficient students in other subjects, however: only 10 percent of students were not proficient in reading and another 7 percent in social studies. The state reported all students were at least partially proficient in writing.

AGS Superintendent Jeff Collier could not be reached by press time.

Standish-Sterling saw gains in every subject but reading, which fell sharply from 54 percent proficiency to 40 percent. The school still saw 15 percent of all students listed as advanced readers, however. The biggest jump came in math, which went from 13 percent proficiency to 22 percent. Social studies also bumped up from 30 percent in the previous school year to 38 percent — with 7 percent advanced — in the ’12-13 year.

The number of students who were listed as proficient in writing increased from 42 percent to 44 percent, while science increased from 21 percent to 23 percent, with 8 percent advanced, between the two school years.

Science saw the greatest number of SSC students who were not proficient at all — 55 percent — with math behind it with 44 percent. In reading, 27 percent of students were not proficient at all, as well as 16 percent and 10 percent for social studies and writing, respectively.

The school tested 142 students in every subject except math, which saw 143 students tested.

The Independent is attempting to reach officials from each of the districts.